Serum eosinophilic cationic protein may predict clinical course of wheezing in young children
a Sección de Neumología, Hospital Niño Jesús,
Avda Menéndez Pelayo 65, 28009 Madrid, Spain, b Departamento de Pediatría, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid,
Spain
Correspondence to: Dr Villa Asensi.
Accepted 12 November 1997
Thirty eight children aged between 2 and 4 years with three or
more episodes of wheezing were studied to evaluate the role of
eosinophil inflammation and its relation to persistence of wheezing two
years later. Serum eosinophilic cationic protein, total eosinophil
count, total IgE, skin prick test, and clinical features were evaluated
at visit 1. Two years later at a second clinical evaluation the
children were separated into two groups: group 1, those with persistent
wheezing (n = 20); group 2, those who had been asymptomatic over the
past six months (transient wheezing) (n = 18). Mean (SEM)
eosinophilic cationic protein at visit 1 was higher in group 1 than
in group 2 (29.63 (5.16) v 14.42 (2.77) µg/l), and the
probability of continuing wheezing at age 5 years was greater in
children with values 
20 µg/l at visit 1 than in those with
lower values (relative risk = 2.88, 95% confidence interval 1.42 to
5.87, p < 0.001). Eosinophil inflammation is present from the
beginning of the disease in the children who are going to continue with
wheezing at age 5 years. The measurement of serum eosinophilic cationic
protein may help in evaluating which wheezing infants are going to
continue with asthma in the future.
© 1998 by Archives of Disease in Childhood
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